


Card Sharks

by LastHope



Series: Missing Scenes [5]
Category: The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Canon Compliant, Card Games, Cheating at Cards, Gen, Missing Scene, Post-COHF, Pre-Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy, gen - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:28:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26400409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastHope/pseuds/LastHope
Summary: Magnus knew never to play cards with Catarina. He didn't know not to play cards with Alec. Or, apparently, Jem.
Series: Missing Scenes [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/430894
Comments: 3
Kudos: 26





	Card Sharks

**Author's Note:**

> So, apparently, I've had this written for 6 years, and had it posted on my Tumblr, but it never got posted here! (To be specific, it was written less than two weeks after the physical copy of The Bane Chronicles was released). I've been going through my Mortal Instruments file on my laptop, reviewing works I want to pick back up/finish, and I knew I wanted to pick my Missing Scenes series back up. I just didn't know I had one 6 years overdue for posting! So far with all the new works, my Missing Scenes pieces are still (for the most part) canon compliant, so fingers crossed that I manage to make sure the rest of them remain that way. 
> 
> This piece takes place after the end of City of Heavenly Fire, but before Tales From The Shadowhunter Academy. The only "non-canon compliant" thing I ask readers to overlook is the fact that, yes, I'm aware that Jem and Tessa spend most of the time between CoHF and TDA searching for the Lost Herondale. I just ask that you suspend your disbelief for a little bit, and believe that they take breaks to hang out with Magnus and Alec occasionally. :)
> 
> I didn't really edit this before posting, so you're getting this piece in all its 6-year old glory.

_“I have very few rules in life, but one of them is to never decline an adventure. The others are: to avoid becoming romantically entangled with sea creatures; to always ask for what you want, because the worst thing that can happen is embarrassment but the best thing that can happen is nudity; to demand ready money up front; and to never play cards with Catarina Loss.”_

_“What?”_

_“She cheats.”_

_–The Bane Chronicles: Vampires, Scones, and Edmund Herondale, pg. 113_

Catarina cheated at cards. Alexander, Magnus unfortunately discovered, also cheated at cards.

And when you put two cheaters together in the same game, it was only a matter of time before _someone_ slipped up.

Magnus didn’t remember how they started playing cards. Honestly, all he could focus on was the utter horror occurring before him, as his boyfriend and Catarina gave each other dark glares over the tops of their cards. Magnus hadn’t ever thought Alec was _capable_ of giving someone that sort of look.

Thankfully, while they both were cheating, neither of them had tried the same plays yet. They had been relatively small cheats to start off; two pairs, Ace high (Catarina won with Kings and Aces), three pair, King high (Alexander, he had three Aces while Catarina had the other three Kings and the last Ace), and the time where Catarina and Alec had exactly identical hands. It had nearly resulted in a table being flipped, a very impressive argument in which both parties denied their cheating habits, and the resolution that neither Catarina nor Alexander were allowed to deal for the rest of the game.

Magnus wasn’t sure why they kept playing, other than the fact that Tessa and Jem both said that they didn’t mind. Both of them seemed extremely amused by everything, and really it was thanks to Jem that Catarina and Alec hadn’t come to blows.

The kettle that Tessa had insisted on putting on for tea started whistling. Magnus had pointed out that three out of the five of them playing could just snap something into the apartment for them to drink, but Tessa, like Alec, had differing moral views than Magnus. That, and she had told him that she found the process “very relaxing”. It probably had something to do with being born in the 1800s.

“Does anybody else want any tea?” Tessa asked, setting her cards on the table and standing up.

“I’d love some,” Jem said, jumping to stop an awkward silence before it could settle. It didn’t seem that Catarina or Alec had heard Tessa’s question. “Do you want some help?”

“I’ve got it,” Tessa smiled, resting a hand on the back of Jem’s chair. “Anyone else? Magnus, Catarina? Alexander?”

Calling Alec “Alexander” snapped him out of his staring contest with Catarina.

“Ah, no thank you.” Alec answered a bit hesitantly.

“I’m good, thanks,” Magnus replied, and Catarina just shook her head, setting her cards down on the table face-down with a look on her face like the cat that had just gotten both the cream _and_ the canary. Alec frowned, apparently distrusting of what Catarina had up her metaphorical sleeve. (Neither of them had literal sleeves on; Magnus didn’t trust Catarina enough to believe she _didn’t_ have cards up her literal sleeve, and Magnus was forced to acquiesce and make Alec change into a short-sleeved shirt when his cheating came to the table.) Magnus didn’t trust her either, but that was normal when it came to Catarina and cards.

Tessa left the room, and the moment she disappeared around the corner Jem leaned over and looked at her cards. Catarina made a small tutting noise behind her hand, Magnus rolled his eyes, and Alec missed it all, focused on his hand. Jem didn’t have the decency to look ashamed.

“What?” He defended his actions. Jem looked mainly at Magnus. “ _They’re_ cheating,” He gestured towards Alec and Catarina on either side of him, “I don’t see why it’s so much a bother that I look at Tess’ cards.”

“I think it’s more the principle of things,” Alec pointed out good-naturedly, surprisingly. “You know, that you shouldn’t be cheating seeing as there are already cheaters in the game when there shouldn’t be cheaters at all – not that _I’m_ cheating, of course. I’ve never cheated before, ever.”

“No,” Magnus agreed amicably, leaning over and pecking Alec on the cheek. “You just count cards. And perform sleights of hand when you deal.” Which was why neither of them were allowed to deal. “ _Definitely_ not cheating.”

“I don’t count cards.” Alec insisted. “Or perform sleights of hand. I have no idea what you are talking about.”

“Of course you don’t,” Magnus teased lightly as Tessa came back holding two cups of tea.

“I’m back,” She announced, setting one cup by Jem, and the other by her cards. Tessa also thoughtfully placed both cups on coasters. “Did I miss anything?”

“Not much,” Magnus said dryly. Jem threw Magnus a grateful look while Catarina coughed, and Alec rolled his eyes.

“Just a discussion on cheating,” Catarina threw in, “Nothing too dreadfully interesting.” She shot a frigid look at Alec as she picked up her cards, who studiously ignored her. Any other day Magnus would be worried of his friend’s treatment of his boyfriend, however, considering the game at hand, Magnus decided he would fend off worry until after the game.

“Did we all agree not to cheat?” Tessa looked elated at the prospect, and Magnus didn’t have the heart to tell her that that wasn’t the topic of discussion.

“ _Anyway_ ,” Catarina blessedly distracted Tessa with her interjection. “Are we going to show our cards?”

“I agree,” Magnus leapt on, anything to finally end the game. He had been set against it from the start, and the night had only gotten worse with every round of Catarina’s cheating. Then when Alexander’s predilection for cheating had been revealed, the night had seemed to be at its lowest. Not that they had any concrete proof that Alec was cheating, except for one spot of a possible sleight of hand.

“Reveal on three?” Tessa asked, though it was more of a statement than anything. It had been agreed early on that they would all reveal their hands at the same time due to the cheaters in their midst.

They counted to three, and laid their cards flat on the table.

Magnus’ eyes narrowed at the sight before him.

“Alright,” He said, voice flat. “Who cheated.”

Because he was staring at three different hands who all had the exact same Royal Flush in them. An impossibility, not only for the ability to achieve a Royal Flush, but also because he was staring at three Royal Flushes _in the exact same damn suit._ Honestly, damn it, if they were going to cheat, couldn’t they mix it up a bit?

“It wasn’t me,” Three voices rang out, and Magnus and Tessa shared a disapproving look with one another.

“Catarina,” Magnus looked to her first, partly because he was still in denial about Alec’s card-cheating tendencies, and partly because he hardly thought Jem capable of cheating. “Be honest. Go on, we won’t think any less of you.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Fine,” Catarina admitted reluctantly. She waved a hand and the images on the card changed, revealing a junk hand.

“Alec,” Magnus turned attentions on his boyfriend next.

“It wasn’t me, honestly,” Alec defended immediately. “I got this hand honestly. Really, I didn’t cheat.”

“Alec, you’re prattling.” Magnus rolled his eyes; that was a tell that Alec was lying. “C’mon, be honest.”

“I am being honest!” Alec defended, face red. “I didn’t cheat!”

“Jem?” Magnus asked for the sake of thoroughness. “Did you cheat?”

“It wasn’t me,” Jem waved his arms defensively, nervously, adamantly denying his cheating. He seemed even more defensive than Alexander. He flung his arm out a little too far to the side and a Jack and two Aces flung themselves out of his sleeve, in a bid for freedom.

He gulped nervously as his girlfriend rounded on him.

“ _James Carstairs.”_ Tessa’s voice was dangerous, and Magnus did not pity Jem in the slightest. Magnus left Tessa to deal with her boyfriend as he turned his attention back to his own.

“Alec.”

“Okay, for the record,” Alec said immediately, before Magnus could get a word in edgewise, “I do not consider counting cards cheating. For the record.”

Magnus couldn’t help it, he started laughing. Laughter, evidently, was contagious, and it wasn’t long before all of them were laughing.

“Counting cards is still cheating, darling,” Magnus managed once the laughter had subsided.

“To you, maybe,” Alec grumbled under his breath. Magnus gave another laugh.

“Remind me to _never_ take you to Vegas.”

* * *


End file.
